No
by hummerhouse
Summary: Raph claims to hate kids, which is probably why April didn't tell him her plans in advance. One shot. 2k3. Mild language and violence.


No

"No," Raph said adamantly, firmly planting his feet on the sidewalk.

"Yes," April replied, trying to push against his shell. It was a useless attempt; he was as immobile as a brick wall.

"You promised," April said, hoping words would get him moving.

"That was before ya' told me what ya' wanted me ta do," Raph said crossly. "Ya' knew I wouldn't like it, that's why ya' hustled me into the van and hijacked me over here without telling me what was going on."

"If I had told you in advance, you wouldn't have shown up," April said.

"Damn straight I wouldn't," Raph snapped. "Why the shell didn't ya' ask Mikey? He's better suited ta this."

"Mikey works best with the young ones," April said. "These are at risk teens. They would have laughed at his antics for all of the wrong reasons. Besides, your weapons will impress them more. They've seen nunchucks a million times."

"No, what'll impress them is seeing Bishop's people hauling away a giant, mutated turtle," Raph said with a growl. "If Leo finds out I'll never hear the end of how I put our whole family at risk by walking around in broad daylight."

"It's costume day," April told him. "Everyone, including the guest performers, will be dressed up."

"Then where's your costume?" Raph asked, eyeing his friend.

"I'm a monitor, I'll be wearing a vest once we get inside," April said, tugging on his arm. That was just as ineffective as the earlier attempt and she added, "_If_ we ever get inside."

A half block away three laughing teenage boys turned in at the youth center. Watching them go inside, the scowl on Raph's face deepened.

"Man, I hate kids," Raph muttered under his breath.

"Fine," April said, releasing his arm abruptly. "Forget I asked you for a favor. You have your way of fighting crime and I have mine. I'd prefer to get to the kids before they make the decision to join a gang, but if you like punching thirteen year olds in the face because they're throwing bricks through windows, so be it."

"I do not punch thirteen year old kids," Raph said.

"Right. You probably don't even look, you just dive in there, fists flying," April said, hands on her hips.

"I don't go into fights with my eyes closed either," Raph protested.

"No, it's simply that all gang members look the same to you," April continued sarcastically, as though Raph hadn't spoken. "Most of the kids in this neighborhood have no other influence than the street gangs so they don't realize they have a choice in life. The gangs are winning because they have an unlimited pool of new blood to enhance their ranks and that's just fine with them. Maybe you're afraid that if the kids stop joining gangs then you and Casey won't have anything to do at night."

"Me and Casey don't target kids," Raph said gruffly. "If this is so important, why didn't ya' drag his ass down here?"

"His mother is having knee surgery," April said. "In fact, he's the one that suggested I get you to help. He thought you'd like the idea of sticking it in the gang's faces by talking their potential recruits out of joining. I guess he doesn't know you as well as he thought he did. There's a sewer entrance in the alley behind us, sorry I can't drive you home, but I made a commitment to help with this event, so I'm going inside."

With that, she turned and started to march down the sidewalk. Raph stared at her retreating back for two seconds and then mumbled, "Oh shell."

A short sprint brought him up next to her and after briefly ignoring his presence, her lips turned up in a triumphant grin.

"Don't push your luck," Raph grumbled at her.

"There'll be cookies," April told him.

"They better not be burnt," Raph said as he opened the door for her and then followed her inside the building.

Raph found himself in a large open room. To the left of the entrance were some folding tables, set up in a line. Behind them a group of adults sat, each wearing a bright yellow vest with the word 'volunteer' emblazoned on both the front and the back.

The first table held pamphlets containing information about the youth center and on the far end sat a squat, rectangular metal box labeled 'donations'. As Raph followed April to the second table, where she signed in as a monitor and put down Raph's name as a performer, a trio of men entered. They were dressed casually and appeared to be local merchants. Each one took a pamphlet and pushed a bill into the donation box.

Since the space was filling quickly, April guided Raph past the rest of the tables which held snacks and drinks, over to a corner of the room. There she slipped into her vest and surveyed the crowd.

"This is the best turnout we've had," April said enthusiastically. "Usually we just have mixers for the community, but the idea of having guest performers seems to be drawing a much larger crowd."

"Free entertainment," Raph murmured, glancing around the room.

He saw a man dressed as Silver Sentry leaning against one wall and had to do a double take to make sure it wasn't the real SS. Someone in a dragon costume stood talking to a group of parents while a woman in a ballerina outfit fashioned balloon animals for some kids.

The sound of applause pulled Raph's attention to where the largest crowd had gathered. A performance space had been set up at the back of the room, with kids seated on the floor just outside of a rope fence line. The ropes were attached at one end to a wall and to weighted truncheons at the other to create a clear area about fifteen feet wide and twenty feet deep.

In the center of the space a juggler dressed as a clown tossed three hand axes into the air, keeping them spinning by expertly catching the handles. There was an excited buzz as the axes went higher and higher until finally the clown caught them one by one and took a bow.

"I guess that's where I'm supposed ta put on my show?" Raph asked without much excitement.

"You're on after the guy in the Silver Sentry outfit," April said swiftly, afraid Raph would balk again. "He's a weight lifter. I've got the rest of the stuff for your part of the entertainment in a storage room; come on and help me bring it out here."

Curious, Raph trailed after her. Since she hadn't clued him into any of this, Raph wondered what exactly April had planned for him to do.

Pulling open a door that led into a small room, April walked over to where three sawhorses were stacked. "These are what your targets are going to sit on," she explained. "We don't want any holes in the wall."

"Targets?" Raph asked.

"Those," April answered, pointing at a pile of thick archery targets. "We'll place them at varying heights so you can show off your throwing accuracy."

Raph rolled his eyes. "This just keeps getting better and better."

"Don't start off with that though," April said as she lifted one of the targets from the pile. "Do a sai kata first and add some fancy twirling in there to impress the kids."

"Peachy," Raph said under his breath, lifting all three sawhorses at once and following April back to the main room.

A second trip brought out the remaining targets and by that time the weight lifter was completing his demonstration. When he was finished, a couple of monitors helped to clear the ring of his weights and the fake Silver Sentry sidled over to where Raph and April were standing.

"You're on next pal," fake SS told him, clapping Raph on the shoulder. "Wow, great costume! It's very realistic."

"Thanks," Raph responded. "How's the crowd?"

"They're teenagers," fake SS answered. "They know it all."

"Terrific," Raph said, grabbing the sawhorses when he saw April climb into the ring.

After they set up the targets against the backdrop of the wall, April exited the roped in area and Raph walked out to the center of the space. A couple of boys snickered and then one asked, "What are you supposed to be, a Kung Fu frog?"

Raph tapped his carapace with a knuckle and glared at the boy. "That's a shell Einstein. I'm a turtle."

"Ooh, I guess that means you move slow," another boy said. "Somebody wake me up when he's done."

Even more of the kids started to laugh and Raph shot a look in April's direction that would have scalded someone less stubborn. Instead she lifted her eyebrows and wiggled her fingers at his weapons.

More than ready to get the torture over with, Raph yanked his sais from his belt, his hands flashing down and up so quickly that all the laughter suddenly died. As he moved fluidly through the steps of the 'Yakaa No Sai' kata, a hush fell over the room.

It was obvious from Raph's booming ki-haps and the way his muscles rippled beneath his skin that the martial artist performing for them was extremely powerful. Part-way through his kata most of the people in the building had joined the kids outside of the ring to watch him.

When he completed the kata, Raph bowed to the audience and received an uproarious round of applause. Feeling better than when he'd first stepped into the ring, Raph grinned lopsidedly and began spinning his sais, taking a moment to show off his dexterity with them.

The murmurs of appreciation from the crowd relaxed Raph further and he began to enjoy himself. It was very rare for him to get the opportunity to step out in front of normal citizens and show them what he'd spent a lifetime learning to do.

After a few minutes of twirling his weapons, Raph stopped and surveyed the crowd. "This weapon is called a sai," he said, his strong voice carrying throughout the room. "It ain't a toy and if ya' want ta learn how ta use it, ya' have to receive instruction from a master martial artist. Don't try ta teach yourself 'cause you'll end up getting hurt.

"The sai is a really good defensive weapon 'cause ya' can use it ta trap other weapons in the prongs and disarm them. It's more versatile than most other weapons too; not only can it be used to attack or defend, but it's one of the few weapons designed ta be thrown."

As the last words left his mouth, Raph spun towards the targets, flipping his sai in the air and catching it by the tip before launching it like a missile. It flew straight and true, the tip sinking into the center bulls-eye of the target just before Raph threw his other sai at a second target.

There was a collective gasp from the crowd as the other sai hit its target with perfect accuracy. Raph sauntered over to his weapons and tugged them free, then walked back to the center of the ring.

"It's one thing ta fling these while you're standing still, but ta be really good with your weapon, ya' gotta be able to use it while you're on the move," Raph said, his gold eyes glowing.

April saw his expression and her jaw fell. She recognized that look and knew her turtle friend was about to do something unexpected.

Running full tilt towards the targets, Raph leaped skyward just before he reached them. Flipping in mid-air, he hit the wall feet first and sprang off of it, soaring high up towards the ceiling. Twisting his upper body, Raph launched his twin sais simultaneously, landing on the floor with nary a sound as both weapons found their marks in the center of separate targets.

The shouting and applause was thunderous as Raph retrieved his weapons and waved to the crowd. April pushed her way through the audience and stepped into the ring to begin removing the targets. Before she could do so, several teen boys hopped over the rope and offered to help.

April was too flustered by her surprise to answer, but Raph said, "That's really polite; she'd love the help."

"Man, you were awesome," one of the boys said as he lifted a sawhorse.

Raph took the other two while the rest of the boys each grabbed a target. "Thanks kid," he said, leading the way to the storage room.

"Do you give lessons?" another boy asked.

"Nah I don't," Raph said. "But there are some good places around here that do. Ya' gotta learn basic self-defense before ya' get into weapons training, but it's worth it."

"The center has an instructor who comes in twice a week," April interposed. "We'll provide your uniforms and all you have to do is show up."

"That sounds cool," one of the boys said.

After they put everything into the storage room, the group went back to the main area and April dug a bottle of water out of a bucket of ice for Raph while he helped himself to some cookies. He was the center of a ring of teenage boys, asking questions at a mile a minute and barely giving him time to take a bite from his sugary treat.

The normally surly turtle was in good spirits as he tried to provide answers and interact with a group of youths who were not actually all that much younger than himself. He was starting to be glad that April had tricked him into this outing and when he glanced up to see the smile on her face, he was sure April was pretty pleased with herself as well.

Just when he thought the day would end without incident, a woman near the front of the building let out a blood curdling scream and part of the crowd surged backwards. Dropping his plate on the table, Raph lunged forward and snatched a pair of small children out of the path of the retreating mob, pushing them against the wall before stretching to his full height in an attempt to see what was going on.

At the front of the building six men, all members of the Purple Dragons, stood in a line blocking the entrance. Two of them displayed lead pipes, one held a bo staff, two wielded bats, while the last held a pistol.

"I don't remember getting an invite to this here party," the pistol man said, making it clear he was their leader.

"I don't remember anybody paying for a permit to have a party in our territory," the one with the staff said.

Before Raph could stop her, April had made her way up front by sliding behind the people who had been manning the tables.

"This is a youth center," April said angrily, getting the leader's attention. "It's full of kids. There is no reason for you to be here you pack of bullies."

"You know something Red? You got a big mouth," the leader said. "Don't think I ain't noticed you before, parading around here like you're some kind of queen, telling the local businesses they don't have to pay protection money to us. Everybody pays, including your little youth center."

One of the men walked over to the donation box and reached for it, but April was faster, plucking the box off the table. The Purple Dragon member caught hold of the end of it and they were soon in a tug of war over the box.

"Damn it April, let go," Raph muttered under his breath as he surreptitiously gathered a group of the smaller children, guiding them out of the main room. The weight lifter stood nearby and Raph told him, "Get them out of the building if ya' can, if not, keep them away from here."

The man nodded and followed the children, sweeping up some parents along the way. Raph turned his attention back to the front, watching as April lost her fight for the money box.

"You ought to join the Dragons, Red. You got spunk," the leader told her.

"I have no use for your gang," April spit out. "You're a bunch of worthless cowards who pick on kids."

"You know what you need, Red? A smack in the mouth," the leader said, moving in April's direction.

"Get down!" Raph suddenly bellowed at the top of his lungs.

Instinctively the crowd responded to the order and dove to the ground. As the Dragon leader turned his pistol in Raph's direction, the turtle leaped to the top of a table and threw one of his sais.

The metal missile flashed through the air, striking the pistol on its barrel with enough force to tear it out of the Dragon leader's hand. Screaming in pain, the man lifted his shaking hand in the air, his trigger finger bent completely backwards.

Raph plummeted forward, racing across the top of the tables towards the Dragons, his remaining sai in hand.

"No, it can't be!" one of the Dragons holding a bat yelled, eyes wide at seeing Raph bearing down on him.

He took a swing at Raph, but by the time his bat came around, the fast moving turtle was already on top of him. Driving the Dragon to the ground, Raph slammed a fist into the side of the man's temple, knocking him out cold.

Twirling his sai as he crouched over the unconscious man, Raph's mouth twisted up into a grin. "Since ya' showed up for this party, who wants the next dance?"

The man with the bo charged him, staff spinning. Raph waited for him, timing the rotation of each spin, and when the man swung down at him Raph caught the bo between the tines on his sai. A powerful uppercut lifted the man off his feet, but he held onto his staff as he fell, his body weight pulling Raph off balance.

In the second it took for Raph to yank his weapon loose, two of the remaining Dragons came at him from opposite sides. Rather than trying to regain his footing, Raph rolled under their swinging weapons.

As the men turned to pursue the turtle, one of them was suddenly struck right in the head by a full bottle of water. He staggered backwards and his buddy looked up in time to catch a juice box directly in his face.

Looking back, Raph saw April and a group of boys emptying the coolers and buckets of their contents and launching them at the four Purple Dragons who were still on their feet.

Arms up, the men tried to block the deluge of wet projectiles. As one they made a dash for the door, slipping in the puddled beverages that lay underfoot.

Raph watched the entertaining display for a minute, then darted forward, his bare feet gripping the floor securely. Using the hilt of his sai, he smacked the nearest man squarely on the back of his head, knocking him out.

The next one in line made an attempt to hit the turtle with his pipe, but Raph ducked under the swing and cold cocked the man with a hard right hook.

When Raph glanced up, he looked directly at the second pipe wielder. Watching Raph's steady approach through eyes that were practically popping out of his head, the man opened his hand and let the pipe fall to the floor.

"No, no!" the man pleaded, hands up as he tried to back away.

Raph grabbed the front of his shirt and half lifted the man off his feet. "Ya' should have said no when they told ya' ta come in here and pick on kids," Raph hissed in his face just before smashing his nose with a thick fist and then releasing him so the man could collapse on the floor.

Only one Purple Dragon remained and that was the leader of the group. He was still holding his broken hand as he slipped and slid away from Raph, finally bumping into the table that had previously held the donation box.

When he turned to look for a way out, an elderly volunteer picked up the stack of pamphlets and tossed them right at his face.

With a startled cry, the man jerked backwards, lost his footing and fell, his head bouncing off the edge of the table. As his eyes rolled back in his head, the volunteer said, "Don't forget your reading material on your way out."

There was total silence for about a minute as the guests and workers surveyed the mess and the six unconscious thugs lying on the ground. Then a loud cheer rang out, followed by shouts and applause raucous enough to shake the walls.

Raph saw that April was on her cell phone and guessed that she was calling the authorities. The teens who had started throwing beverages at the Purple Dragons rushed over to where Raph was standing after retrieving his sai.

"That was awesome!" one of them shouted excitedly.

"You kicked their butts," another announced breathlessly.

"_You_ kicked their butts," Raph corrected him, looking around at the group. "Ya' came together ta protect this place and I couldn't be more proud of ya'. This youth center and the things it does for ya' is your future, not these punks."

Raph waved a hand at the Purple Dragons, who were all still out cold. "The only thing following in their footsteps is gonna get ya' is a one way ticket ta jail. Ya' get one shot at life kids, and if ya' don't wanna waste it, ya' better decide ta do the right thing and stay out of gangs.

"These guys run in packs 'cause they're cowards. If ya' all stick together, don't let them scare ya', and watch each other's backs, the gangs will disappear."

April appeared next to him, her hand on his arm drawing his attention to the sound of sirens drawing closer.

"Would a couple of you go outside and wave the police cars over?" April called out, drawing the group's attention so that Raph could slip through the crowd.

As Raph reached the small kitchen with its rear exit, he heard April barking out orders and smiled. All things being equal, he was glad his big sister hadn't taken no for an answer.

FIN


End file.
